Here we are in our sixth and final part of the cooking and baking series and we are wrapping up with the PERFECT cheap, easy, and sorta fancy bread recipes that have been a weekly (if not sometimes daily) staple in our kitchen over the last six months. A friend recently asked me if I bake bread when I’m stressed and the answer is absolutely yes! I bake bread to give my hands something wholesome to do with themselves - something that makes a product that fills bellies and bring smiles. I bake bread because there is nothing more soothing than the steady push and pull of kneading the dough or more comforting than the steamy cracking open of a perfect floury crust. The yeasty smell of baking bread will always be my favorite scent and these recipes make it easy enough to keep that smell in the air almost anytime.

Join me in a few weeks for my first trip lookbook in a long long time...my review of our upcoming trip to Martha’s Vineyard! And in the meantime, enjoy the best gift I can give you: my three ride-or-die bread recipes. Here we go!

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1. No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

This recipe is the one that began it all. I read a version of this recipe in Shauna Nequist’s book Bread and Wine and started making it to share over every pot of soup and bowl of salad shared over my table. This is the bread that brings my people the biggest smiles. It’s crusty and just the right balance of soft and chewy. If you’ve never been a bread baker, this is your gateway. ​

2. Egg (or Challah) Bread

I made this bread for the first time on Christmas Eve and we ate it with butter and jam while we opened presents at my Grandma’s. While this loaf looks super fancy and maybe a little intimidating, the dough has the stringy and soft consistency of a brioche and is a cinch to work with. This bread comes together beautifully and can serve as the centerpiece of a meal.

3. Homemade One-Hour Sandwich Bread

Some of you may know that Ben is raising money to go to San Salvador in June of this year. In order to raise the last of the money for his trip, I’m baking a bread whose recipe is adapted from this one! When I need a quick and warm loaf of bread with dinner, this is what I whip up. Unlike literally any other bread I’ve ever made, this one is done in one hour, start to finish. People, this recipe might be magic.​